Tower of Terror to Close at Disney’s California Resort

By: Cami Swafford

Last month, Disneyland Resort announced that the Tower of Terror ride at Disneyland’s California Adventure will be closing on January 2, 2017. This iconic ride, which is based off the 1960’s show The Twilight Zone, is designed as an elevator that drops its passengers. The Tower will be replaced with a new ride that is based on the Guardians of the Galaxy and is scheduled to open in the summer of 2017. The ride will still contain the beloved elevator drop; however, all other features will be completely overhauled.

“Guardians of the Galaxy–Mission Breakout!” has been reported by Disney’s blog to consist of a mission where, “unbeknownst to their unscrupulous captor, the intrepid Rocket has escaped and is enlisting the Collector’s VIP guests for help. Guests board a gantry lift, which launches them into a chaotic and hilarious adventure as they join Rocket in an attempt to break his fellow guardians out of captivity.”

Between September 9 and October 31, Disneyland’s guests can experience “late check-out,” meaning they get to ride the Tower in complete darkness. In addition, the Tower of Terror’s gift shop is now selling t-shirts that say, “The Hollywood Tower Hotel Final Check-out” and other memorabilia.

In response to the news that the Tower of Terror will be shutting its doors permanently, a slew of Disney fans have begun to protest. Numerous petitions have been created on Change.org, with some having up to forty-thousand signatures. These fans also started the hashtag #SaveTheTower which is now trending on Twitter.

New rumors have formed in recent months that the creation of the Guardians of the Galaxy ride will mark the beginning of a Marvel superhero themed land in the park. Disney has not commented on these rumors; however, they have suggested that more Marvel characters will be incorporated into the Disney theme park. Thankfully, the Tower of Terror located in Orlando, Florida will remain intact.

Although a Marvel Land would be an amazing addition to the Disney Parks, the Tower of Terror will be greatly missed.